U.S. troops for P.N.G. says newspaper

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 10

U.S. troops for P.N.G. says newspaper

NZPA-AAP Sydney The United States and Papua New Guinea have signed a secret agreement to deploy American troops on the border between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, according to a report in yesterday’s "Australian” newspaper. The paper said the deal was struck after talks between a top-ranking United States military delegation and the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (P.N.G.D.F.) in Port Moresby last month. The talks were held without the involvement of the Australian Government and have led to fears of an adverse reaction from Indonesia. Sources in Port Moresby said the United States would deploy initially a 12 to 15 man special force in an advisory role in support of

new units being raised by the P.N.G.D.F. in an effort to increase Papua New Guinea’s military presence in the Indonesian border area. The “Australian” said its information was confirmed by a United States official. In Canberra a spokeswoman for the Defence Minister, Kim Beazley, told Australian Associated Press that the United States troops have already trained Papua New Guinea soldiers at the Goldie River base near Port Moresby,. “Papua New Guinea and the United States already have a bilateral defence arrangement,” she said. "Australia welcomes the agreement.” The spokeswoman said the report in the “Australian” was a “beat-up,” because United States

troops had already been training Papua New Guinea troops under the existing arrangement. The United States Embassy spokesman was not available for comment yesterday morning. The federal opposition told A.A.P. yesterday that the United States no longer believed Western interests in the Papua New Guinea region could be protected solely by Australia. The acting Opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, Alexander Downer, said he believed this was implied by the reported secret agreement. The report in the “Australian” also claims that 12 to 15 Special Forces troops may be deployed along the border between Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya.